In 1995 manufacturer IPEX introduced Kitec to the world of plumbing. From that point through 2005 it was regarded as the darling in plumbing materials for its ease in use, efficiency, and cost effectiveness. Not until continued use, was it discovered that it had a major flaw… it didn’t work well with water.
Kitec plumbing consists of plastic-coated aluminum pipes and brass fittings, with the brass fittings the subject of a class action lawsuit certified by the Nevada District Court on October 16, 2006, alleging the brass fittings are defective because they dezincify when exposed to water.
In the research for this article I looked up the words brass, and dezincify, and found...
• Brass: any of various metal alloys consisting mainly of copper and zinc.
• Dezincify: To deprive of, or free from, zinc.
This led me to research “what corrodes zinc” and found… “The behavior of zinc in a specific atmospheric environment can be predicted within reasonable limits. However, it is generally accepted that the corrosion rate of zinc is low; it ranges from 0.13 µm/yr in dry rural atmospheres to 0.013 mm/yr in more moist industrial atmospheres.”
Now I don’t know what a µm (yacometer), or mm (micrometer) is, but this doesn’t seem like rocket science to me, it’s simply “Elementary, My Dear Watson.” Using the method of compounding, it’s safe to say there’s a lot of dezincifying going on after 9 years.
What the hell? Did IPEX, the builders, and the plumbers not know that brass is made of copper and zinc? And, when exposed to moist conditions, brass dezincifies? Or, were they just looking for money to flow to them, seeking the highest level, while the water flowing through their pipes, sought the consumers' lowest level, i.e. their basement.
This "dezincifying" caused a plaque like substance from the corrosion of the zinc to build up in the pipes and fittings, causing low water pressure at the faucets, and, additional pressure on the weaker "dezincified" fittings.
Therefore, it is easy for me to say the decision of the Court is just, in that IPEX, the builders, and the plumbers have been ordered to pay the homeowners the cost of remediation. (They should have looked up the words brass, zinc, and copper, and what corrodes them prior to installing them.)
Settlement began in 2007, and the initial deadline to make a claim on the money was to end on March 31st, 2012.
Not too long ago, I knew little of the Kitec issue, other than if your home was built in 1995 through 2004* there is a reasonable probability your home was built using Kitec fittings. And, a class member may claim monies to remediate the issue from the manufacturer, plumbers, or builders, and, that the first deadline of March 31st, 2012 was extended to January 29th, 2013 to make a claim.
Although they made great attempts to notify the homeowners that are due a claim, the homeowners have not all responded; leaving a substantial amount of money on the table after the January 29th, 2013 deadline.
Not too long ago my Broker, Aldo, blasted an email to all of our agents that another extension has been granted by the Court stating, “all prior Kitec claim deadlines have been lifted by Court order. Class members have 3 years to file claims for the available settlement relief, until approximately March 2017, or, until the available funds have been exhausted.”
Since this email I have spoken to another Realtor, a friend of mine, at another large company. She was not aware of this extension. Once again, I was able to show her the benefits of working with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices® Nevada Properties, and what sets us apart from other agents in our industry.
Currently, any claim member who is subject to this claim sells their home thinking they have missed the deadline, is grossly uninformed. This is why it is critical to not just hire a Realtor®, but to hire an experienced, knowledgeable, and trusted Realtor®, like myself, who has the support, and accountability behind the name Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices® Nevada Properties.
This is all good news for homeowners that haven’t made a claim yet, and for Realtors® that know how to leverage this information. Fortunately, you, my reader, can see the importance of both.
*Kitec was still in use after 2004, although it is now believed it was not used extensively in Clark County beyond 2004.
Kitec plumbing consists of plastic-coated aluminum pipes and brass fittings, with the brass fittings the subject of a class action lawsuit certified by the Nevada District Court on October 16, 2006, alleging the brass fittings are defective because they dezincify when exposed to water.
In the research for this article I looked up the words brass, and dezincify, and found...
• Brass: any of various metal alloys consisting mainly of copper and zinc.
• Dezincify: To deprive of, or free from, zinc.
This led me to research “what corrodes zinc” and found… “The behavior of zinc in a specific atmospheric environment can be predicted within reasonable limits. However, it is generally accepted that the corrosion rate of zinc is low; it ranges from 0.13 µm/yr in dry rural atmospheres to 0.013 mm/yr in more moist industrial atmospheres.”
Now I don’t know what a µm (yacometer), or mm (micrometer) is, but this doesn’t seem like rocket science to me, it’s simply “Elementary, My Dear Watson.” Using the method of compounding, it’s safe to say there’s a lot of dezincifying going on after 9 years.
What the hell? Did IPEX, the builders, and the plumbers not know that brass is made of copper and zinc? And, when exposed to moist conditions, brass dezincifies? Or, were they just looking for money to flow to them, seeking the highest level, while the water flowing through their pipes, sought the consumers' lowest level, i.e. their basement.
Therefore, it is easy for me to say the decision of the Court is just, in that IPEX, the builders, and the plumbers have been ordered to pay the homeowners the cost of remediation. (They should have looked up the words brass, zinc, and copper, and what corrodes them prior to installing them.)
Settlement began in 2007, and the initial deadline to make a claim on the money was to end on March 31st, 2012.
Not too long ago, I knew little of the Kitec issue, other than if your home was built in 1995 through 2004* there is a reasonable probability your home was built using Kitec fittings. And, a class member may claim monies to remediate the issue from the manufacturer, plumbers, or builders, and, that the first deadline of March 31st, 2012 was extended to January 29th, 2013 to make a claim.
Although they made great attempts to notify the homeowners that are due a claim, the homeowners have not all responded; leaving a substantial amount of money on the table after the January 29th, 2013 deadline.
Not too long ago my Broker, Aldo, blasted an email to all of our agents that another extension has been granted by the Court stating, “all prior Kitec claim deadlines have been lifted by Court order. Class members have 3 years to file claims for the available settlement relief, until approximately March 2017, or, until the available funds have been exhausted.”
Since this email I have spoken to another Realtor, a friend of mine, at another large company. She was not aware of this extension. Once again, I was able to show her the benefits of working with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices® Nevada Properties, and what sets us apart from other agents in our industry.
Currently, any claim member who is subject to this claim sells their home thinking they have missed the deadline, is grossly uninformed. This is why it is critical to not just hire a Realtor®, but to hire an experienced, knowledgeable, and trusted Realtor®, like myself, who has the support, and accountability behind the name Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices® Nevada Properties.
This is all good news for homeowners that haven’t made a claim yet, and for Realtors® that know how to leverage this information. Fortunately, you, my reader, can see the importance of both.
*Kitec was still in use after 2004, although it is now believed it was not used extensively in Clark County beyond 2004.
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